A blessing or a burden, Aurier is Tottenham’s chaos factor

Serge Aurier’s first season at Tottenham Hotspur has been about as up-and-down as his ability to bomb between both ends of the pitch. Rash challenges giving away penalties have been juxtaposed by more welcome goals and assists, and in many ways that epitomises exactly what the Ivory Coast international’s game is all about – relentless action, for better or worse.

The 4-1 win over Bournemouth on Sunday provided the perfect example of how beneficial that can be for the Lilywhites. It was the summer signing who galloped down the right flank, latching onto a perfectly weighted pass from Heung-min Son, and played a pinpoint cross into the path of Dele Alli for Tottenham’s equaliser after Junior Stanislas had put the home outfit in the lead.

And Aurier wasn’t finished there; in the dying embers of the encounter at the Vitality Stadium, after being asked to switch flanks and fill in for the injured Danny Rose, the former PSG man popped up in the penalty box to head home the final goal of the afternoon after Begovic had spilled a cross into his path.

Aurier will feel that goal was just rewards for ninety minutes of hard graft, where he had helped put Tottenham back into the match while registering the second-most chances, the second-most tackles and the second-most successful aerial duels of any Spurs player.

Yet, the question must be asked; why exactly, after being asked to provide cover for the final ten minutes on his less favoured flank in a game that Tottenham had just sewn up through Son’s late goal on the break, is Aurier galloping so far up the pitch he’s latching onto rebounds and putting them in the net? On another day, that could have cost Tottenham dearly even if the match clock had moved into stoppage time, leaving a huge gap at the opposite end of the pitch.

But that’s the inevitable deal with Aurier. He’s the chaos factor – at times inspiring it amongst the opposition, at times bringing it upon his own team. So, Tottenham fans, where does the 25-year-old – who Transfermarkt value at £18million – rank amongst your club’s signings this season? Let us know by voting below…